I had one foot in a boot before he even finished speaking. ‘Give me three seconds to get ready. No offence to Fiona.’
‘You could’ve chucked it in the fireplace and there’d have been none taken,’ he said with a laugh. ‘She’s tough as nails. Has to be after forty years of being married to Mal.’
‘Forty years?’ I whistled, impressed. ‘She doesn’t look old enough.’
‘Tell her that,’ Callum advised. ‘She’ll be thrilled.’
With one hand on the wooden post of my canopy bed to steady myself, I rammed my other foot into the other boot. ‘You do realise it’s another weird thing, though? Having a housekeeper. And a driver. And staff in general.’
His great shoulders hunched together, expression guarded. ‘They’re not staff. Fiona and Mal are part of the family, Balmaclay is as much their home as mine. Mal isn’t the driver, he’s the ghillie.’
‘Which means?’
‘It’s difficult to explain,’ he said as I wound a scarfaround my neck until only my eyes were visible. ‘In layman’s terms a ghillie is someone who stewards a specific area of land in the Highlands, in Mal’s case, our twenty thousand acres. But it’s more than a job. Mal was born into the role, he’s the fifth generation of his family to work alongside my family.’
‘Thank you for breaking it down to a layman,’ I said waiting for his wry smile. ‘So he’s, like, an indentured park ranger?’
‘Not quite. Mal is and always was free to go and do whatever he wants with his life but if you were to ask him, he’d tell you there was never a question of him doing anything else.’
‘And after him?’
‘He’s two boys, both at university, both fighting over the job. I expect they’ll share the duties to be honest.’
‘What about Fiona?’ I asked, pulling on my mittens. ‘Also destined to be the world’s finest vegan chef?’
At that, he laughed.
‘Fi was born to keep Mal in line and she’ll tell you that herself. She moved into Sleagh Cottage with his family after they got married and started helping his mum around Balmaclay. When Eileen passed on, she took on the job full time.’
‘She must really love that man. Imagine living with your in-laws.’
Callum grabbed my coat from the rack beside the door and held it out for me. I slipped my arms through the sleeves, privately enjoying the gesture.
‘Derek and Lizzie would treat you like a queen.’
‘Except they’ll never be my in-laws,’ I pointed out, ‘because I’m not really your girlfriend.’
Fully clad in my winter gear, I turned to face him.He was so close, my breath hitched in my chest and a tiny gasp escaped. Callum’s eyes held mine as though he were searching for something and I blinked, suddenly afraid of what he might find.
‘Sorry about earlier,’ he said softly, pulling my hat down over the tops of my ears.
Inside my mittens, my fingers scrunched into tight little fists.
‘Which part?’
‘Dealer’s choice.’
He took a small step back and I stumbled forward, the space he left between us too much for gravity to bear.
‘Mum must have been keeping notes after every phone call,’ he added apologetically. ‘I’d forgotten half the stuff I told her about you.’
After taking a moment to collect myself, I crossed the room to retrieve my phone and put some necessary distance between us.
‘About Caroline,’ I corrected. ‘Not me.’
Eyes down, he patted his pockets in traditional McClay-man fashion.
‘I thought we could walk to The Clach if you’re game?’
